Seven Years, Two Days, & A Moment
by SquishyCool
Summary: 5-part future fic: Nearing 30 years old, Freddie has finally decided to move on from his love for Carly and marry Sam, but is it really what he wants? Is it what Carly wants? Seddie/Creddie
1. Six Years

**Seven Years, Two Days, & A Moment**

**I. Six Years**

Six years.

That's how long Sam and Freddie had been together when he finally mustered up the courage to propose to her. She accepted, of course, and it made Freddie happy. Yet he couldn't help but admit to himself that he had his doubts about their relationship.

Sure, they were happy. And sure, they had their fights. But some days were worse than others… Some days, Freddie asked himself why he stayed in the relationship when he knew it wasn't what he _honestly_ wanted.

And on these days that he asked himself that question, he always gave himself the same answer:

_Because Carly didn't want him._

He knew it, Sam knew it, Carly knew it. Everyone knew it. Everyone knew that Carly Shay felt nothing but friendliness towards Freddie Benson. He was her "best bud," her "pal."

He had waited all through high school for her. He watched her date this guy and that guy and another guy, he had prevented himself from getting close to whatever girl he dated to pass the time, and he had denied the growing relationship between him and Sam – just to save himself for Carly. He waited and waited for that day that she would finally open up and admit to him that she _did_ love him like he loved her and that she _did_ want to be with him.

But that day never came.

He started dating Sam during college. Somehow, they had ended up attending the same college. Well, it wasn't exactly "somehow" – it was like this: Freddie had only applied there and nowhere else because he was positive that Carly was going there. But at the last minute, Carly had gotten an acceptance letter to her first-choice school and had apologized to her two best friends and then she had left them behind. Sam didn't have the energy to try to apply to any other school, so she attended nevertheless. And when Freddie realized he couldn't get into Carly's college, he had given up and decided that attending a college with Sam was better than attending a college with a bunch of strangers. And so, the three friends spent a few years apart, but somehow stayed relatively close.

Freddie and Sam listened to Carly gush about her frat guy boyfriend, who she actually stayed with for all but the last year of college, and they all got to be together again during summer vacation and the holiday breaks in between. But while Carly was at her own college partying with her own boyfriend, Freddie and Sam were spending awkward nights alone in their dorms, too scared to meet new people but too proud to admit the fact; they wanted to stay close to each other because they already didn't like the distance with Carly.

And as if all of the moments in high school didn't prove it enough, college only assured the fact… Freddie and Sam were inevitable. After a drunken night together and a lot of denial, they gave in and dated each other.

Secretly, Freddie kept his tiny pockets of hope close to his heart: the hope that Carly would finally admit her feelings for Freddie and ask him to be with her.

But years went on, and hope dwindled. He never actually fell in love with Sam, but he did love her nonetheless. He couldn't deny the fact that he was still head-over-heels, madly in love with his best friend, Carly Shay. After college, she got a great job in Seattle. She was a photographer, among other things, and was busy all the time with photoshoots and whatever else got dished out on her plate. She didn't have time for love or boyfriends anymore; she barely had time to have dinner with Sam and Freddie a few times a week. She was traveling every month for work as well. Sam and Freddie stayed in Seattle – Freddie got a job at a computer company and was slowly working his way up the ladder, and Sam was working on opening her own restaurant.

Freddie did find it somewhat amazing, though, that the trio had stayed such good friends for so long. He thought for sure that college would tear them apart, but surprisingly, it never did. Along with his tiny pockets of hope that Carly would fall in love with him, he also had even tinier pockets of hope that the time apart would somehow force him to move on from her and in the meantime actually fall in love with Sam.

But it never happened.

He waited six years for Carly.

He spent exactly forty-two days debating whether to propose to Sam or not. In the end, he obviously decided to. But the only reason that brought him to that final decision was the fact that Carly had never loved him, didn't love him now, and probably never _would_ love him.

And he couldn't spend the rest of his life waiting for her.

He did tell himself that this was it, though – he made the promise, not only to himself but also to Sam, that if he did this and he took this leap, it would be final. No divorces, no separations, nothing. It was "till death do us part." He would marry Sam, they would have children, they would grow old together, and then they'd die.

And somewhere in there, he would have to stop wishing that Carly had given him a chance.

**to be continued…**

**

* * *

A/N: **This story will be 5 parts. I am still on hiatus, but I got the idea for this and ended up actually writing the whole thing out, so I did. It's to help contribute to Croctober =] (If you don't know what that is, you should really join Creddie Fans! creddiefans dot 2ya dot com.)  
I wanna give a HUGE thanks to **sockstar **(_sockstar1 _on LJ & Creddie Fans) for reading this over and giving suggestions for changes, as well as helping on the last part. He's amazing!


	2. One More Year

**Seven Years, Two Days, & A Moment**

**II. One More Year**

The wedding came quickly.

Before Sam and Freddie knew it, the year of planning and preparing for their wedding had gone by and the date was quickly approaching. They already had their party picked out, the tuxes were rented, the dress was purchased, the cake was being made, the caterer was hired, and the reception hall was rented out. Thousands of dollars were gone to all of these things plus decorations, a photographer, and a DJ. Not to mention, the resort that the newlyweds would be spending their honeymoon at was already picked and the flight was booked.

Surprisingly, Sam had a lot of desires for her wedding day, and seeing as her mother was anything but well off, it would be Freddie and Mrs. Benson who would be taking care of just about every cost for the wedding.

Freddie found himself to not be paying much attention throughout most of the preparations. The year went by faster for him than probably anyone because his own head was off somewhere else, in a place where he was asking himself why he was getting married; a place where he was making a list of pros and cons to getting married to Sam right now. Besides, Sam made most of the decisions for the wedding anyway, so his input wasn't really needed.

"Yeah, I like this color, but I'd really rather the bottom layer of the cake be chocolate… Whadd'you _mean_ it's not traditional? I don't _care_ if it's traditional or not, I want chocolate! …Fredward, will you please tell this lady that we're not paying her thousands of dollars to tell me what kind of cake I want? …Freddie? _Freddie_!"

"Huh? Oh… uh, just give her what she wants, really. You can put white icing over the chocolate part just like the rest of it anyway, can't you?"

To be honest, Sam was excited and in a bit of a rush even though they were actually ahead of schedule with their preparations, and Freddie was just… not that excited at all. He knew there was something wrong with feeling that way, but there was nothing he could do to change it. So he just followed Sam around and accepted all of her decisions, usually to his mother's dismay.

Most of the conversations went something like:

"Yo, Fredward! I really like this dress, and it's only a couple thousand more than that other one…"

"Alright, whatever you want, dear."

Or:

"Freddie, will you please tell your mom that it's not the cost of the caterer, but the quality of the food? No one's gonna show up to the reception if the food is jank!"

"Whatever you want, hun."

And:

"Ugh, there's no way I'm gonna be able to do my own hair for the wedding. Can't we _please_ hire a hairdresser?"

"Of course, babe."

For the most part, she got exactly what she wanted (because after six years, Freddie had learned that it was just easier to give in than to try to compromise) – except her maid of honor. To Sam's dismay, Melanie would be her maid of honor because Carly would be out of town for the wedding.

Carly apologized over and over again and felt terrible, but there was no cancelling her job. If she tried to rebook the photoshoot she was scheduled for or even cancel it altogether, her contract would be demolished. And that was too much to be thrown away for her after she'd already made it this far. So, with promises of making it up to them, Carly Shay was scheduled to leave on a plane heading for NYC right around the same time that Sam and Freddie would be saying "I do" in the church.

It was sad, but it was part of being "grown-up," as Sam liked to put it.

**to be continued…**


	3. One Night

**Seven Years, Two Days, & A Moment**

**III. One Night**

Freddie's heart began to race as he pulled into Carly's driveway and put his car into park, shutting off the lights and then the engine. He sat there in the dark for a few moments, trying to slow down his heart rate and convince himself that he wanted to do this.

He knew if he didn't do this tonight, he would regret it for the rest of his life. He just had to know.

He took a deep breath and opened his car door, stepping out and shutting it behind him. He quickly walked up to the front door and knocked, not giving himself a chance to back down. There was no backing down this time – this was his last chance.

The muffled voice of Carly called from inside, "Coming!"

Freddie shifted his weight from one foot to the other. The door finally opened and Carly smiled at him from behind her screen door. He moved aside and she pushed it open, stepping aside to let him in.

"Hey, Freddie," she greeted happily, shutting her door and standing before him. "I was just about to get ready for bed. What's up?"

"Uh, I just needed to talk to you about something, Carls," he said, still feeling nervous.

Carly raised her eyebrows in interest then gestured towards the kitchen. "Okay, well come sit down and we can talk. You want something to drink?"

"Sure," Freddie agreed, following the brunette into her spotless kitchen. He took a seat at the bar and folded his hands on the flat surface in front of him, watching as Carly went to the fridge.

"What did you want? I have water, tea, milk, juice, soda – "

"Water's fine."

"Okay," Carly pulled the water jug from the fridge and retrieved a glass, then set it in front of Freddie and poured him a glass of water. He accepted it graciously and took a long gulp while Carly put the water jug back and seated herself in the stool across from him.

Freddie set the now half-empty glass down beside him and swallowed, finding his mouth to still be somewhat dry. He smiled weakly at Carly and cleared his throat, unsure of how to start.

"So… what's going on?" Carly finally prodded, her smile faded and a look of concern on her face now – she could tell when he was nervous or something was bothering him.

"Um, well… you know tomorrow is me and Sam's wedding…"

"Oh, gosh, Freddie… I told you, if I could make it, I really would. I'm so sorry that I can't, it's just – "

Freddie put up his hand to silence Carly. "No, it's not that, Carls. That-that's fine. We understand, I promise. You don't need to apologize anymore."

"Oh… then what is it?" she asked, looking confused now.

He paused a moment, trying to look for the right words. But he found himself unable to. He had absolutely no idea how to ask her without seeming like a total scumbag. He cleared his throat, his eyes averted from Carly's patient gaze.

"Well… uh, y'see…" he started, tripping over his own words. "Carly, we've known each other since sixth grade. A-and you've been my best friend since we started doing iCarly. I mean, our friendship even survived through those years that we were apart for college, and… and I know you've always known how I felt… about you…"

Carly's face was beginning to drain of its color, but she remained silent, wanting to give Freddie the chance to finish and not jump to conclusions.

_Besides,_ she thought, _Maybe he's finally assuring me that his crush died a long time ago, just to make it official that he's moving on._

"But, um… Carly… here's the thing," Freddie slowly drew out his words, staring down at the marble top of the bar rather than up at Carly's face. "I… I never _stopped_ liking you. In fact, if anything, I only fell in love with you even more over the years. Those years we were apart at college were the worst, and-and to be honest… I started dating Sam because I was trying to force myself to move on from you and give up on the idea of an… of an _us_. I thought for sure that if I dated Sam, I would eventually fall _out_ of love with you and I would fall _in_ love with her, and everything would be okay."

The words were flowing uncontrollably now. Freddie wasn't sure where they'd come from exactly, but he was finally getting everything off his chest after years of keeping it inside and it felt _good_. He got a burst of courage and finally looked up, staring into Carly's wide brown eyes as she listened in shock, her mouth slightly agape.

"But it never happened... It-it never happened, Carly. I still love you just as much – no, I love you even _more_ now - than in high school. You're the only woman I could ever see myself with who-who could make me truly happy. You're the only woman I could be with who would completely and totally understand me and who I would do absolutely anything for. You're my only one, Carly. Believe me, I've tried to disprove the fact, but after this many years…? What other answer could there be? You're the only one for me. I-I love you, Carly."

He paused, taking in a deep breath and continuing to stare into her brown eyes.

"But here's the thing… I'm marrying Sam tomorrow, whether I still love you or not. Obviously, my feelings for you will never change, and one of these days, I'm going to have to stop regretting never being what you wanted… But-but tonight is my last chance. This time tomorrow night, I'm going to be going home with Samantha Benson and that will be it. Through thick and thin, sickness and in health, I'm going to be Sam's husband… And that's why I'm here. I just needed to ask you, Carly… Will I _ever_ have a chance with you?"

Carly pursed her lips at this, not wanting to answer too quickly. She knew the answer in her heart, but…

"Before you answer, I just want you to know… I'd do _anything_ for you. But I can't waste my life waiting for something that will never happen. I'm nearly thirty years old, Carly, and I'm not going to live forever. But if you tell me right now that I may have a chance in five years, ten years – or even in _twenty_ years – then I'll wait. I'll cancel the wedding and I'll leave Sam and _I will wait for you_. You're the only woman who could make me the happiest man in the world. But I would never even think about forcing you into something you didn't truly want. So-so if you tell me now that you've never loved me and that you never will, I'll drop it. I'll forget about it, I'll move on, I'll marry Sam tomorrow, and that will be that. Eventually, I'll stop loving you, and I'll sure as hell stop waiting for you, and I'll move on with my own life… with Sam by my side."

He sighed at this, glancing back down then up again. "I-I guess what I'm trying to say is… there have been so many countless mixed signals throughout the years, Carly, that I still don't know what to believe. So I'm finally asking you straightforward, and all I want is a straightforward and honest answer: do you or will you _ever_ love me?"

They were both silent. Freddie's heart thumped in his ears and he could feel the sweat building up on his palms. After a couple of moments, he added quietly, "This is your last chance, Carly… this is _my_ last chance. All I'm asking for is the truth, and you know I'll take it to heart."

Carly's lips remained pursed as she stared at Freddie in silence. Her hands were shaking in her lap and her heart was racing. How was she supposed to answer this? She knew the answer in her heart, but… it was all so wrong. She'd tried to keep herself busy for so many years, drowning herself in her career and trying to forget. But it never worked. And now was her last chance? No. Her last chance was during college, when she was hundreds of miles away and dating that stupid frat boy who ended up – well, she wasn't going to think about that right now. But the point was, her chance had been gone a long time ago. From the moment he and Sam had started dating, her chance had disappeared.

Because you don't take your best friend's boyfriend/fiancé away from her, and you sure as hell don't take him away the night before the wedding.

It wasn't even one of those obscure "girl rules" – it was just a known fact. What kind of a "best friend" would she be if she caved in after all these years and took Freddie as her own? After all the years of rejecting him and denying it to herself and to him…

Sam was so happy, too. She was finally getting married, and to one of her best friends. What else would Carly be besides _evil_ if she took all of that away from her best friend since second grade?

It wasn't right. Carly had denied any sort of feelings besides friendship for Freddie because, well, he was one of her best friends and he had always been such a dork. Plus, she'd always thought that it would just never work out for them because, along with Sam, they were a trio. And how selfish would it have been of Carly to ruin the dynamics of their friendship by dating Freddie and making Sam the third wheel?

She'd gone to that separate college to get away. She'd wanted to experiment, to search, to see what was out there in the world. She was still a youth and she wanted to explore all of her options – not be tied down to a high school sweetheart. She wanted to see what kind of a world there was outside of Spencer, the loft, Sam, and Freddie. And she had… and she'd learned that the world out there was nothing compared to what she had in Seattle.

But by the time she'd learned that, Sam and Freddie had already realized it and taken advantage of it, and she was left behind. She'd brought it on herself, though.

So what was she supposed to say right now to her best friend of nearly fifteen years, who was sitting in her kitchen proclaiming his never-ending love for her on the eve of his wedding to her best friend of nearly twenty years?

"No, Freddie… I've never been in love with you. I'll never love you as anything more than my best friend. You do need to move on, and you need to marry Sam and be happy."

It was the hardest thing she'd ever had to choke out and pass off as honesty.

**to be continued…**


	4. Final Day

**Seven Years, Two Days, & A Moment**

**IV. Final Day**

Before Freddie could even catch his breath, the day of the wedding was upon him, and he was standing in a dressing room, all decked out in a tux with gel in his hair, straightening his bowtie in the mirror while his mother fussed with the way his hair stood up.

He stared blankly at his reflection, not feeling many emotions. The day had come too soon for him and he wasn't sure if he was ready… But that didn't really matter, because he was going to go through with it either way, wasn't he?

"Fredward, I really don't – "

"MOM! It's fine!" Freddie finally snapped, slapping his mother's persistent hand away from his hair.

She sighed in defeat and walked around to face him instead. As she inspected him up and down, a grin spread across her face.

"Oh, Freddie… I'm so proud of you, finally getting married," she beamed, straightening his bowtie for him. "And not a day too soon. I can't wait to see those grandkids – "

"Ma, enough, alright?" Freddie scolded, shaking his head. "Could you just… gimme a minute or two alone please?"

Mrs. Benson furrowed her brow in concern. "Fredward… what's wrong? Are you nervous? Sweetie, it's okay if you are, but you don't need to be. This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life!"

"I know, Mom. I'd just like a few minutes of privacy to… _collect_ myself. Okay?" he explained, trying to be nicer and persuade his mother to leave him alone despite his rising anger and frustration.

Mrs. Benson sighed and patted her only son on the shoulder, then nodded. "Alright. I'll go check on the caterer and the DJ and make sure everything is set up for when Sam walks down the aisle. If you need me, just holler."

Freddie nodded and remained standing in his spot until his mother had left the room, shutting the door behind her. He immediately dashed over and locked the door, then leaned against it, relieved to finally have his privacy that he so desperately craved.

Taking a deep breath, he walked back over to the chair in front of the vanity and sat down, picking up his wallet from the top of the vanity table and opening it. He slipped his fingers inside a small pocket and pulled out a folded-up picture. He unfolded it, setting his wallet back down on the vanity table, and held the photo in his hands. Then, he just stared at it.

He couldn't help but smile at the old photo - the glow on the young Carly's face and the way her arm was wrapped around the young Freddie's waist. It was one of those moments he treasured most – the moments that seemed insignificant to someone else, but that meant the world to him. He'd always felt some sort of relief and security having Carly so near. Just her presence –

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. He rushed to fold the photo back up and stuff it into his wallet before calling out, "Wh-who is it?"

"It's me. Let me in."

Freddie narrowed his eyes in confusion, getting up and walking to the door but not opening it. "Sam? I'm not supposed to see you before the ceremony, remember? It's bad luck."

He could hear a scoff through the door. "Please, you really believe that crap? Just let me in."

He shrugged, not caring if she didn't care, and unlocked and opened the door to reveal his bride. The white dress hugged Sam's curves and flowed down her back, leaving a long train behind her. Her veil was pushed back and she was holding up a lot of her dress so she could walk. She quickly pushed past Freddie and entered his dressing room, shutting the door and facing him.

"Whadd'you need, Sam?" he asked.

Sam gave him a look like he should've known what she was there for. "C'mon, Fredward… I may be blonde, but I'm not dumb."

Freddie shook his head and faked a smile, shoving his hands into the pockets of his tux pants. "Nothing's wrong, Sam. I'm just… a little nervous, okay? I mean, it's our wedding day – "

He was interrupted when his blonde bride grabbed his wrist and yanked his left hand from his pocket, glancing at it then back at him. "You only put your hands in your pockets like that when you're either lying about something or about to ask me to marry you… and the latter has already happened, so…"

He looked down at Sam's small hand clutching his wrist before pulling it out of her grasp and resting both of his hands at his sides. He tried to think of a comeback for her, but he had nothing. He sighed, looking down in shame.

"It's nothing… Just… don't worry about it, really."

"No, I'm not gonna just _not_ worry about it. It's our wedding day. Now tell me what's wrong," Sam demanded.

Freddie shook his head and pursed his lips.

"Okay, you really expect me to marry you if you won't even tell me the truth right now?" she countered, causing him to look up at her in shock. "Seriously, Freddie, c'mon. When have you not been able to tell me something?"

She was right – ever since college, Freddie and Sam had grown a lot closer in the sense that they shared everything, which was one of the reasons their relationship seemed to work for so long. But there had always been one thing that Freddie had refused to _ever_ share with _anyone_, even Sam, and there was no way he was going to spill now.

"Forget it, Sam. I promise, it's just nerves," he stated with finality.

He turned around and began absent-mindedly adjusting his bowtie in the mirror, even though it was already perfect. He waited for Sam to give up and leave, but she remained standing behind him, watching him with patience.

He was just about to open his mouth and suggest she leave to get ready to walk down the aisle when she spoke up with something that made him completely freeze where he was standing.

"It's Carly, isn't it?"

Freddie didn't know how to respond. His mouth fell open just slightly and his hands dropped down to his sides. Any words that could save him were trapped underneath a knot in his throat and suddenly, his tux was feeling awfully warm.

Sam watched his reaction to her words in the mirror and merely crossed her arms in front of her, shifting her weight to one foot and waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, she added, "You can tell me, Freddie… All I want is the truth, y'know."

Instead of telling the truth, though, he tried to steer clear of the subject. "What do you mean, '_it's Carly_'? What's that even supposed to mean?"

Sam sighed and cocked an eyebrow. "You know exactly what it means."

"Well… if you're talking about how she couldn't make it here today, then yeah, I do. I mean, it's really upsetting that our best friend can't be here for our wedding," he quickly improvised. "It's not everyday we get married, y'know."

He added a nervous chuckle at the end, trying to be light-hearted about it, but it elicited nothing but more impatience from Sam.

"Freddie, if you don't tell me the truth, I'm going to put you in a headlock until you do."

Freddie gulped, knowing all too well how serious she was – the abuse had definitely not stopped just because they were dating (Sam had a tendency to want things her way, and if Freddie didn't oblige… well, she usually forced him to).

"Okay, okay," he finally sighed, stepping away and taking a seat in the vanity stool again. He rested his elbows on his knees then buried his face in his hands. He felt absolutely ashamed to be admitting any of his feelings to Sam, but there was no getting out of it now. "I…"

He didn't even know what to say. What _was_ there to say?

"_Yeah, so I'm still in love with Carly but I'm marrying you because… well, I'm almost thirty and I need to move on with life and you're the only woman besides my mom who loves me! Now let's go get hitched, baby!"_

No.

He shook his head, searching inside of his head for the right words.

But before he could say anything, Sam said it for him.

"You still love her… don't you?"

**to be continued…**


	5. Final Moment

**A/N: **Here it is: the final part! I wanna thank all of you guys who have been reading and taking the time to review... I really appreciate it! I hope you like how this turns out, and feel free to leave me any criticism or thoughts you have on this. And thanks again to sockstar for being so awesome at writing! Don't forget to come join Creddie Fans if you're... well... a Creddie fan, obviously, haha.  
Now excuse me while I go crawl back into my corner and disappear on a hiatus.

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**Seven Years, Two Days, & A Moment**

**V. Final Moment**

Carly sat in the hard plastic chair, her luggage surrounding her. She hugged her sweater closer to her body, thoroughly annoyed by the air conditioning in the airport. She had arrived earlier than expected and was waiting for them to call her flight.

True, she could've already gone through security and been seated on the plane, but the truth was, she was hesitant.

She hadn't slept more than thirty minutes the night before, and getting up and showering and getting dressed to leave for the airport didn't even clear her mind… All she could think about was Sam and Freddie.

Or rather, _Freddie_.

She knew that as she sat in the airport, they were preparing to walk down the aisle and say "I do" to each other forever. But what hurt most was that she wasn't even thirty-thousand feet in the air yet… According to the timing of their wedding, they would be slipping their rings on while Carly was still awaiting takeoff.

It was true… Freddie's words had left her reeling all night and all morning. She couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't think straight. All that had been running through her head for the past twelve hours was him and what he'd said… and what _she'd_ said.

It wasn't easy lying to Freddie, not by any means. But she knew it was vital. She had to. She couldn't become a homewrecker. She wasn't going to ruin her best friend's wedding day for her own selfish wants.

But was Freddie even a _want_ to Carly? Had he _ever_ been a _want_ to her?

The answer was no. Carly _needed_ Freddie. She needed him like Spencer needed sculpting – which was quite a bit, because if you looked at it, Spencer had given up law school, his grandfather's hopes, _and_ his own father's hopes… all for sculpting. But she had always needed him, whether she liked to admit it or not. He kept things balanced in her life, and when she felt like the only sane one left, he came in and assured her she wasn't alone. He'd always been there no matter what, and his love had always been undying and unconditional.

How could she have denied that for so many years? Denied it all for… what? A "bad boy" with an obsession with little kids' toys? A few stupid parties? A frat boy that broke her heart?

Nothing in her life seemed even nearly relevant to what she had with Freddie. What they'd always had was everlasting and assuring and it brought her back up when she felt weak and… he was the missing piece to her and Sam's little three-piece puzzle. Without him, where was she? Where were either of the girls?

How many times had Freddie toughed things out – bitten his tongue and bore the pain – to see Carly happy?

And she couldn't even sacrifice a few years of her "freedom" to make _him_ happy? To make them _both_ truly happy?

Her foot was tapping up and down rapidly on the tiled floor beneath her. Thoughts raced through her head and she tried to push them away, but they were only pushed away by other thoughts of the same thing. It was nearly impossible to avoid it – his eyes, his voice, his face… the way he looked at her with complete adoration, even when she was at her lowest.

It took roughly four seconds for Carly to realize exactly what she was doing, and by then, she was already shoving her way through a large crowd of people, desperately dashing for the exit of the airport, all cares about her flight and her stupid binding contract disappeared. She'd hastily shoved her luggage into the arms of a passing security guard and demanded he "PUT THESE IN STORAGE PLEASE!", her only thought about the precious seconds that were ticking away. There wasn't much time, and she had to get there.

She had to tell Freddie the truth and stop him from marrying Sam.

She raced out of the airport into the fresh morning air, quickly spotting a yellow cab dropping someone off. She helped the person vacate their items from the cab before hopping in and ordering the driver to get to the church as quickly as possible. The driver obeyed and took a few illegal moves, but at this point, Carly couldn't have cared less. Her eyes were glued to her watch, staring as the minutes passed by and her opportunity became smaller and smaller. She questioned herself inside of her head as to _why_ she didn't leave sooner – or why she didn't just tell Freddie the truth the night before.

The last thing she wanted was to completely crash Sam and Freddie's wedding. She silently prayed that she would make it there before the ceremony began, so she could find Freddie and spill her guts to him and stop him before it was too late.

But at this point, she knew, she would honestly have done anything to just tell Freddie the truth, no matter what that meant. Even if it meant crashing her own best friend's wedding.

Surely Sam would understand… Surely she knew that Freddie still loved Carly…

The brunette's adrenaline pumped through her veins as the cab pulled to a screeching stop in front of the church. She quickly handed the driver a wad of cash and dashed out of the backseat, running as fast as she could up the white steps and to the large double doors, her dark brown hair flying behind her and her heels clicking on the pavement and stone.

There was no one outside and it sounded completely quiet from where she was, which had to be a bad sign.

But it was now or never.

"If anyone has any objection as to why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace."

The double doors at the end of the aisle that Sam had just walked down swung open with a startling _click_ and _swoosh_. Everyone turned and looked, including Sam and Freddie, to see Carly step inside the church, distress covering her face along with perspiration and stray strands of hair. She was breathing heavily and there were tears in her eyes as she looked around at the scene before her.

Just as she had prayed she _wouldn't_… she'd burst in at the very last possible moment.

Nevertheless, she found her voice past the tight knot and constricted airway. "Freddie!"

"Carly?" Freddie responded to the familiar voice, completely turning away from Sam and the minister to gaze down the aisle in shock, squinting and trying to assure himself it was really her.

"Freddie… I love you," Carly declared loudly, her voice echoing off the towering church walls around her. There was a collective gasp throughout the room. "I-I'm so sorry I lied to you last night, but it didn't feel right to come in between what you and Sam have… I realized that it felt even more wrong not to say anything, because I'm not just lying to you, I'm lying to myself and everyone else… You are the only one for me, Freddie."

A hushed collection of voices took the place of the dead silence that surrounded Carly, people explaining to other people who didn't know, just who Carly was and what she had meant to Freddie.

"I'm so sorry for making you wait so long, for denying you and lying to myself all these years and hurting you so much. I-I just want you to forgive me. You are the only one that can make me happy, Freddie, and you're the only guy who's ever proven that you're worth it all. I had exactly what I was looking for right here all along… Freddie, I need you… please tell me you still need me, too. Please tell me I'm not… too late."

She paused, glancing at Sam, who had tears in her eyes as she stared at her best friend, perplexed.

"And, Sam… I'm sorry. I really am. I love you, but I can only hope you can somehow understand…"

Freddie stared at Carly in absolute shock. Beside him, his blonde bride dropped her bouquet to the ground in front of her and looked up at Freddie, tears welling in her eyes and threatening to roll down her cheeks as she waited for what she knew was coming.

Without even a glance behind him, Freddie grinned and hopped off the small step to the aisle, then raced down its length to meet Carly at the end. He immediately scooped her up in his arms and held her close, then pressed his lips to hers in absolute relief… and love.

When they finally pulled away, they stared into each other's eyes.

"Carly, I love you so much, I – "

She pressed her lips to his once more, shushing him, and pulled away for just a second to whisper, "I know, Freddie… I know."

They wrapped their arms around each other and hugged tightly, right there in the middle of the church, and their lips met in another impassioned kiss. And finally, they both knew, and they could both admit to themselves…

It was just meant to be.

**end.**


End file.
